This invention relates to the disease of glaucoma. Glaucoma is a disease of the eye, characterized by an increase of intra-ocular pressure and impaired vision. In the adult, there are two types of glaucoma: (1) primary glaucoma which may be a wide angle or a narrow angle, and (2) secondary glaucoma which is a result of ocular disease. The major treatment for glaucoma is the use of miotic agents which constrict the pupil and allow for better drainage. When the human eye has the disease of glaucoma, it is marked by an intense intra-ocular pressure, resulting in hardness of the eye, atrophy of the retina, cupping of optic disc and blindness. The problem is that if the glaucoma is not treated and the symptoms reduced, blindness may result.
Glaucoma is responsible for about 14% of all new reported blindness cases, and thus represents a significant economical problem which must be treated either medically or surgically. Various medications are currently available, but only a few are widely used, and the addition of another highly effective drug to the ophthalmological armemtarium would provide a greater choice for medical therapy.
The present invention provides such drugs which are effective as antiglaucoma agents, i.e., effective in reducing the intra-ocular pressure in mammalian patients.